To put recycling in a recyclable bin bag

[Ifawl]

Fed up of unrinsed residue from recycling making the bins filthy and stinking so I've been using a recyclable bin liner. DH just said he wants to open the bags and pour into the street side bin to make more space. I want to put the bags straight in (for exactly the same reason as wanting a bin bag in the first place).

He thinks the bags take up more space because they hold air and the bin is currently full. But the bin is currently full because we put cardboard boxes in at the bottom!

Oh my god. This is so inane and petty but posting it anyway.

Why don't you rinse your recycling?

Our bins don’t get lifted if the recycling is bagged.

Our district council specifies that any recycling should be rinsed clean and dry before being placed loose in our recycling bin. They specifically say not to put it in a bin bag first.

We don’t have bins here at all.

We only have bags, I would check to make sure you’re allowed to use bags as some councils won’t collect if it’s bagged

Do what you feel most comfortable with. Personally I wash smelly stuff that can't be sealed (cans of fish for example) but with jars with a lid (like pasta sauce) I just throw them in the bin unwashed as they won't smell. It all gets sorted out at the recycling plant anyway, worst case is it gets straight to landfill.

I agree with your husband on this. I put the recycling into a recyclable bag in the kitchen bin, but when I put it into the outside bin I empty it out into the bin because it does create more space if it's all loose

You should rinse your recycling.

rinse your recycling, don't be such lazy skanks. You can use washing up water if the water use worries you.

nasty job for the staff, having to deal with food scraps that have been rotting for two weeks.

Haven’t used bin bags for years, for anything. I can’t see what they bring to the party except more environmental damage.

My council accepts mixed recycling(includes cardboard, but not glass) , so wheelie bin is outside and inside I have a gigantisk bin from IKEA which has a back bag in as a liner. All my recycling stuff goes in there, having been washed if neededand allowed to dry. When full, which takes a while as its a decent sized bin and I crush things like cartons, cans , egg boxes and milk bottles down ,I take it out to my recycling bin tip it straight in, then put the black bag back into the gigantisk bin to reuse. I think the current black bag has been used for about three months and is still clean and dry, as is my recycling wheelie bin.

I do have a big kitchen and floor space for the bin which helps of course, but it looks OK and doesn't shout recycling.

I put messy recyclable containers into my dishwasher.

Our refuse Collectors would not take a recycle bin which had bagged items in it. We are not allowed to put plastic bags in it, even if they are made of recyclable plastic. If anyone does, then the whole load (whatever is on the lorry) is considered contaminated and so isn't recycled.

Who do you think is going to untie the bag and sort the recycling out?

Meant to say because of the way the gigantisk is designed you don't see the top of the bin bag peeping out , it's all inside, and it's a touch to open lid as well.

Have you checked with the council? ours request that recycling goes in loose not bagged.....and just rinse out the stuff that needs it.

Everything we put in our recycling bin is washed, dry and squashed to maximise space. Bin stays clean that way and we can fill it right up without wasting any air space.

It's the easiest thing in the world to rinse, takes seconds. I use the last if the water in the washing up bowl (use Ecover washing up liquid and if the water hasn't any obvious food bits in and no fats or oil, stick it in your watering can for the garden) or pit tins, butter cartons, yogurt pots in the dishwasher.

I despair if people can't even be arsed to do this one little thing which takes no time and costs nothing then we're so fucked.

Space wise, cardboard boxes I collapse to get as flat as I can then put them down the sides of the bin (DH just shoves them in whole thus taking up a quarter of the space in one fail swoop. I swear if we ever divorce this will be why). I put wine bottles in upside down wedged in the corners. It's recycling Jenga

@contrmary

Do what you feel most comfortable with. Personally I wash smelly stuff that can't be sealed (cans of fish for example) but with jars with a lid (like pasta sauce) I just throw them in the bin unwashed as they won't smell. It all gets sorted out at the recycling plant anyway, worst case is it gets straight to landfill.

Why don't you wash out the jars and put them in a glass recycling bin?Surely if the jar has a lid on and the bottom of the jar gets broken that makes the bit with the lid attached almost impossible to recycle without someone having to unscrew the lid from jagged broken glass. Even if your council accepts glass I think you should wash it and unlid it before recycling.

Actually while I'm here our bin has still managed to get a bit pony and a few years ago we had the horror of maggots (shudders at memory) which was ver unpleasant to remedy.

We have bin cleaners here but you have to commit to a rolling service which we don't need. Short of using a stick or broom with clothes wrapped on the end if there a straight forward way to clean it myself? Without using bleach if poss?

• pongy.

The easiest solution is to rinse out jars/bottles. We have always done this - has never occurred to me not to, and chuck everything in the bin as it is.

our council says has to be rinsed and no bags in recycling bin
unrinsed bottles etc apparently ruins the whole load

@tellmewhentheLangshiplandscoz

* pongy.

Ah! I thought you were using cockney rhyming slang! Pony and trap - crap

Our council wants recycling rinsed and reasonably clean. We can put it in bags in the bin but not black ones as they can't check that it's recycling. Ours can recycle plastic bags so I sometimes put it in a bag or tip it in if I'm short of bags. For some reason ours doesn't take black containers (machine can't see them?), foil or cling film.

I rinse plastic, and put cans and glass in the dishwasher first. How would anyone know your bags are recyclable?

Our council wants recycling rinsed and reasonably clean. We can put it in bags in the bin but not black ones as they can't check that it's recycling. Ours can recycle plastic bags so I sometimes put it in a bag or tip it in if I'm short of bags. For some reason ours doesn't take black containers (machine can't see them?), foil or cling film.

Oops